State of the Canucks – Weekly Notebook | March 23rd

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With less than ten games remaining in the regular season the Vancouver Canucks appear to be cruising into this year’s playoffs, content with a pile of points that should be good for 2nd overall in the Western Conference.

The Canucks snapped out of their cold streak with a ferocious game against the Blackhawks on Wednesday, but lost one of their stars in the process after Duncan Keith caught Daniel Sedin with a vicious elbow.

Sedin was knocked out of the game and immediately sent home to Vancouver for further medical attention as the team fears the worst with Daniel experiencing concussion-like symptoms.

The sky is falling

Just 24 hours after Daniel Sedin was knocked out of Wednesday’s game the Canucks were back on the ice, beginning life after Daniel with a 2-1 win in Dallas.

Henrik Sedin set up a pair of goals and looked sharp alongside Mason Raymond and Zack Kassian on Vancouver’s newly-configured top line, giving hope to Canucks fans that are having a hard time dealing with the team’s loss.

Around the Rink

Before the madness on Madison claimed Daniel Sedin in Chicago, earlier this week a couple of the Canucks were doing their part to promote equality in sports through the You Can Play Project. YCP was founded by Patrick Burke and several others driven towards promoting equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) athletes.

Earlier this week Ryan Kesler and Henrik Sedin spoke to Xtra’s Robin Perelle about homophobia in sports and the You Can Play project.

“A lot of us are closed-minded. Not all of us [and] not just in hockey, but in society.

I think this opens up the idea, and I think it’s going to change things for the better.” Ryan Kesler told Xtra.

In the Infirmary

The health of Daniel Sedin is top priority in Vancouver this weekend as the Canucks close their four-game road trip Saturday in Colorado.

State Of The Canucks March 23rd

The extent of the damage done to Daniel’s dome will take time to discover, however the length of Duncan Keith’s suspension should be settled Friday during an afternoon hearing with Brendan Shanahan.

Contrary to initial reports, the NHL had elected to conduct an in-person hearing with Keith, which was later waved by the defenceman.

This means the league is no longer restricted to assess five games or less, giving Shanahan free reign in the case. More to come as the Keith ruling breaks throughout the afternoon.

In The Community

CANUCKS TEAM STORE

Visit the new Canucks Team Store on Robson and save 20% on your next purchase!

The Canucks Team Store on Robson features the best selection of exclusive Canucks merchandise in the city including the new Team Scarf. And now you can shop there and save! Simply print out this coupon and present it to the cashier at time of purchase.

The Canucks Team Store on Robson is located at 1151 Robson Street (between Bute & Thurlow) and is open 7 days a week.